Vice President Biden: Israeli Settlement Announcement ‘Undermined’ Trust as Peace Talks Resume
EmailABC News’ Karen Travers and Simon McGregor-Wood report:
Vice President Joe Biden once again condemned Israel's plans for new settlements in the occupied territory of East Jerusalem and said that the move threatens to damage the fragile trust between the two sides at this critical juncture.
“The decision by the Israeli government to advance planning for new housing units in east Jerusalem undermined that very trust, the trust that we need right now in order to begin as well as produce — have profitable negotiations,” Biden said today in Ramallah.
Biden met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas just one day after the Israeli Interior Ministry announced plans to build 1,600 new settlement homes in the disputed area of east Jerusalem.
Biden’s visit was meant to tout the rejuvenated Middle East peace talks but the announcement by the Israelis has overshadowed the highest -level to Israel by an Obama Administration official.
Israeli officials including Prime Minister Netanyahu were quick to apologize for the embarrassment caused. The announcement was characterized as a procedural step in a long running planning process rather than an intentional provocation.
Israelis did not include East Jerusalem in their 10 month moratorium on settlement expansion. Netanyahu's right wing coalition claims it has every right to build homes for Jewish residents in areas the Palestinians consider to be their own. It was Israeli settlement expansion in East Jerusalem that made the Palestinians so reluctant to re-start peace talks.
Yesterday Biden said he was pleased that the Israelis and Palestinians agreed to resume indirect peace talks after a 14-month lapse but urged all sides to “build an atmosphere to support negotiations, not complicate them.”
Today he sent a signal that the Obama Administration would not tolerate aggressive actions by either side that threaten to disrupt the peace talks.
“As we move forward, the United States will hold both sides accountable for any statements or actions that inflame tensions or prejudice the outcome of talks, as this decision did,” Biden said with Abbas.
Abbas asked the Israeli government “not to waste this opportunity to make peace.”
“I call upon this government to stop its settlement policies and to stop imposing fights on the ground and to give the efforts of President Obama’s administration and Representative Mitchell’s efforts the opportunity to succeed,” Abbas said.
-Karen Travers and Simon McGregor-Wood
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I’m all broken up about this!
Posted by: Crying in Jerusalem | March 10, 2010, 2:12 pm 2:12 pm
Israel has made it clear that giving up part of Jerusalem is/has been/will always be a non-starter. They’d nuke to defend and retain it. Can we move on to talks that don’t ignore this truism?
Posted by: s | March 10, 2010, 2:14 pm 2:14 pm
What a waste of time.
Posted by: Yallah | March 10, 2010, 2:17 pm 2:17 pm
Even as a strong supporter of Israel, I’m left scratching my head and wondering what could they possibly be thinking. 1600 new homes in East Jerusalem and announcing it when Biden has arrived to jumpstart peace talks??
Posted by: hopesprings52 | March 10, 2010, 2:55 pm 2:55 pm
hopesprings52-Israel is always doing this type of nonsense. Why do you think suicide terrorism exist over there. It is to repel occupation and cruelty. Unfortunately for the Palestinians it hasn’t worked. Israel continues the nonsense.
Posted by: Huh | March 10, 2010, 3:50 pm 3:50 pm
The Israelis are basically thumbing their noses at the American Government and American people. We are the ones that bankroll all of their little expeditions. The Israelis say that they want peace with the Palestinians but their latest actions totally betray what they say. They will never have peace without first returning the land they stole from the Palestinians. They rail against the Iranians getting nuclear weapons yet they possess these weapons. Their recent actions make it very clear that the Israelis are the ones that’s preventing peace from coming to the region.
Posted by: johnnylee | March 10, 2010, 4:23 pm 4:23 pm
Israel does not want peace. It has never wanted peace with the Palestinians. Israel wants their land and is more than willing to sacrifice any kind of peace (and many more thousands of Palestinian lives) to have it all. And with all their nukes and with America’s protection, Israel is the biggest bully on the block in the Middle East. I can’t wait for them to self-destruct, as they most assuredly will.
Posted by: windrider | March 10, 2010, 5:11 pm 5:11 pm
It looks like the government of Israel is due for a good come-upance. Apparently the people of Israel can’t control their government. The world has played nice and tried to fix this problem, but it’s just not working. What they sow, they will reap and I hope the fallout stays over there.
Posted by: Wayne | March 10, 2010, 5:14 pm 5:14 pm
I don’t understand the Israely response in general, but I do understand why they are distrustful of dumBO and his circus show. You asked for this dumBO with your inexperienced apolgy tour. Now what are you going to do? More health care obamamercials I bet.
Posted by: Todd | March 10, 2010, 5:49 pm 5:49 pm
Todd Said: “I don’t understand the Israely response in general, but I do understand why they are distrustful of dumBO and his circus show.”
=======================================
LMAO! ….. the first part of your statement says it all… “I don’t understand”.
“Nuff said!” … LOL.
Posted by: GeorgieBushie | March 10, 2010, 5:57 pm 5:57 pm
Isreal has no desire for peace. What’s in it for them? As things are now, they can continue to steal more land with impunity. They believe it is their god-given right, regardless of what international law says. And with nutinbutayahoo at the steering wheel, you can bet they will avoid peace at all cost. Cut of their funding . . . That’ll get their attention. They are an aparthied state, and we, the supposed defenders of freedom and equal rights . . are supporting them with funding. How heroic of us.
Posted by: Shawn Irwin | March 10, 2010, 6:15 pm 6:15 pm
Shawn Irwin, you are EXACTLY correct. But the American people, like “Todd” below, well, they just, “don’t understand”.
Posted by: GeorgieBushie | March 10, 2010, 6:25 pm 6:25 pm
US mid-east policy is all about oil, nothing else..
without oil as a reason for involvement, the US would just as soon let the entire region blow itself up, regardless of assumed relations with Israel..
Posted by: PO'd | March 10, 2010, 6:32 pm 6:32 pm
Me too.
Posted by: dave | March 10, 2010, 6:51 pm 6:51 pm
“homes for Jewish residents”
See, thats the problem right there. If they would stop being so racist, people might want to work with the Israeli government.
Posted by: Flash Override | March 10, 2010, 7:02 pm 7:02 pm
They should keep this blithering idiot Biden locked up, and not subject foreign countries to his illconceived rants.
Remember, this is the “real man of foreign policy genius” who wanted to chop up Iraq into three countries.
Posted by: Joe "Six Term" Biden | March 11, 2010, 12:54 pm 12:54 pm
Why do people think they can trust Israel? Revelation 2:9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
I know everyone see what they are doing to the poor people in GAZA, they had killed so many people there including AMERICANS and they are still killing till this day. If GOD dont trust them why should we?
Posted by: MsCuriousCat | March 11, 2010, 3:53 pm 3:53 pm
Since when is Israel not permitted to build in Jerusalem?
The US never requested such a “freeze” in the past and Israel never agreed to one.
It looks like the Obama admin is determined to keep the Israelis at arms length to appeal to the Arab and Muslim nations.
But we already can see how it will pan out: even greater demands from the Palestinians and their supporters – combined with louder accusations against the US.
Posted by: Engineer | March 14, 2010, 12:36 pm 12:36 pm
If Biden and Clinton suddenly think this is a problem then why don’t they object to Israelis praying at the Western Wall?
After all, Palestinians such as Arafat and Saeb Erekat claim on CNN that there was never a Jewish temple in Jerusalem. Isn’t Biden afraid of offending them also?
Posted by: Stressed in Jerusalem | March 14, 2010, 12:45 pm 12:45 pm
I would interpret the words and actions of many running for office today as an attack. When someone attacks me as vociferously as they have been attacked in so many ads and comments
Posted by: UGG Adirondack | November 3, 2010, 8:39 am 8:39 am